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It was 20 Years Ago Today

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In the summer of 1989 I packed up a U-Haul and towed my belongings to Los Angeles to start a new life there. I took 100 resumes with me and landed the first job I applied for—West Coast editor of American Salon. I started working at our office on Wilshire Boulevard in Downtown Los Angeles in September. I found our July issue on my desk and learned that Paul Mitchell had just passed away. Sadly, I never got to know him, but I do know his beautiful son, Angus, who is following in his footsteps.

1. With my good friend and the best hairdresser in Pittsburgh, Arnold Zegarelli; 2. wearing CND nail extensions at our 120th anniversary party in Las Vegas; 3. Brett Vinovich and I in Venice, Italy, where the waiters thought we were a couple; 4. with Vidal Sassoon, who once told me, "You have the cheekbones for us!"; 5. my former assistant, Deirdre Clemente, and I with Brad Johns, who makes me a believable blonde and a better person; 6. Suzanne Munshower, Yates, myself and Vince Cappa in Bologna, Italy; 7. Ann Mincey, the kindest person I know

In 1994 I moved to New York City to become publisher of American Salon and hired Brett Vinovich to be Western regional sales manager. He'd worked for Andy Warhol. I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Warhol's home town. As far as I was concerned, we were destined to do great things together, and we did. Now, 20 years later, I am editor in chief and Brett is publisher. What a long, strange trip it's been.

During the past 20 years, I've seen a lot of changes in the beauty industry. When I started, there were no day spas, most salons did not have nail techs on staff and we had to coax men to come into the salon for haircolor. There have been so many buzzwords since I started—metrosexuals, microdermabrasion, Brazilian keratin treatments—that it's hard to keep track. Oh, and we thought the beauty industry was recession-proof.

A few years into my tenure, I had dinner with Nancy Flinn of Nancy Flinn Marketing Resources. "You're a lifer," she announced just before dessert was served. At first I was horrified, as if she'd handed me a death sentence. What if I wanted to do something else with my life, like design jewelry or marry a millionaire and spend my days on a yacht in the Caribbean? As it turns out, she was right about me. Twenty years have passed, and I still love my job. I have traveled all over the world—to Tokyo with the National Cosmetology Association for The World Hairdressing Championships; to Bologna, Italy, for Cosmoprof; to Paris for Mondial Coiffure Beauté; to London for Salon International. I've been to Cancun, Mexico, with KPSS/Goldwell, to Jordan with Farouk Systems and to Germany with Wella. More important, I have met the most wonderful people on earth—hairdressers like you, many of whom have become my very dear friends.

As with any industry, we have our superstars, and I've been fortunate enough to meet most of them—Vidal Sassoon, who is the consummate gentleman; Aveda founder Horst Rechelbacher, who taught us how to say aromatherapy; Redken's goodwill ambassador, Ann Mincey, who has never said an unkind word about anyone (we could all learn a few things from her); the one and only Oribe; Bumble and bumble's Michael Gordon; the incomparable Vivienne Mackinder; the brilliant Anthony Mascolo; and John Sahag, who left us much too soon. To all of you, thanks for the memories. Oh, and time really does fly when you're having fun. —Marianne Dougherty, editor in chief, mdougherty@questex.com